A New Beginning
by Hail the Wolves
Summary: A New Year means a fresh start, forgetting about last year, and being able to start anew. IchiRuki, oneshot.


I think I'm becoming addicted to one shots. XD. Well, this popped into my head today as I waited to go to my Aunt's house. Enjoy.

A New Beginning

In Rukia's opinion, New Year's was probably one of the best holidays of the year. Not because of the small gifts exchanged, or because you got to eat osechi-ryori, or because the family came together to welcome the New Year. No, it wasn't any of these reasons.

Rukia loved New Year's because of the fresh start. One could forget the sins of the past year, cleansing their soul for the next year.

As she sat with the Kurosaki family, waiting for the clock to change from eleven-fifty-nine to twelve o'clock, she thought about how the year had gone. The war had ended in the beginning of the year, so it had been too late to be forgiven for that year. But this year she would be going to the shrine with Ichigo and his family, telling the gods everything she believed she had done wrong.

The clock struck midnight, and everyone cheered and laughed as the New Year rang in. The family went up to the roof, ready to welcome the sun into the year.

"Rukia-neesan, would you like some kobumaki?" Yuzu was leaning over, offering the food to Rukia. Rukia graciously accepted, tasting the delicious kelp roll. Even though the sun wouldn't be up for hours, the family exchanged playful banter, full of insulting each other, and the occasional punch to the skull.

Everything had been prepared for the shrine visit. The girls' formal clothing had been laid out and ready for donning, as well as the men's suits. Everything was spotless, a clean start for a new beginning.

The sun rose, and the Kurosaki's as well as they neighbors all went back inside to get ready for their shrine visits. Rukia looked at herself in the mirror. She had gone shopping with Yuzu and Karin to find dresses for the event. It was nothing major; just a black dress with red patterns swirling around for a whirlwind of waves.

Rukia placed her in a precarious bun, checking herself over as they family prepared to leave. She felt… nervous about even entering the shrine. As someone who was already dead, would the gods consider her prayers? She shook her head. Of course they would. If reincarnation was true, then even the spirits of the dead would be heard.

Rukia glanced over at Ichigo, who was currently chatting with his father, and thought about how he had acted the entire night. They had their usual arguments, and she had kicked him in the shin multiple times after he had insulted her height. But at the same time, Rukia noticed the looks he gave her when he thought she couldn't see, or even the little glint in his eyes whenever they argued. She wasn't sure what it was; all she knew was that whenever she saw it, she felt a strange tightening in her chest and she wanted to smile.

She shook her head; these were not thoughts she should be having; a Shinigami was to not feel like this, a Shinigami had to be able to box their feelings up and ignore them for another time. But when Ichigo was around, her emotions spread through her body like wildfire, dominating everything she had been trained to do.

It was finally time to leave, and the Kurosaki's and Rukia walked down the street with numerous other families on their way. She chatted with Yuzu and Karin, argued with Ichigo, and listened to stories told by Isshin. She smiled one of her true rare smiles. This is what family meant; to go down the street, talking about nothing and everything.

As they arrived at the shrine, the family chose a line to wait on so they could pray. The shrine was pretty crowded; it was the only one in the area, so unless families travelled, there was no place else but here.

They waited at least half-an-hour before it was their turn. Rukia walked up to the shrine, bowing her head as she shared her crimes to the gods.

_I have killed many, even if they are hollows and are sent back to Soul Society. I have not rescued everyone I could. I have changed too many lives._

Glancing around quickly, she said one extra thought that she knew she must leave behind.

_I fell in love with my best friend and partner._

She clapped twice and ended her prayer. She stepped down from the altar, waiting for the rest of the family to finish. She noticed that Ichigo was staring at her once again, but he had the look on his face he always got when he decided he was going to do something. Rukia had no idea what. She just knew that there was no way to stop him and the best thing to do was to support him.

As they walked back to the household, Ichigo called out to his dad. "Hey pops, we'll meet you back at the house alright? Rukia and I need to take care of something."

"Of course you can my son! Just hurry back, Yuzu has made us a delicious lunch!" The older man continued to walk, dragging his two extremely embarrassed daughters behind him.

Rukia looked up at him questioningly. She didn't sense a hollow and her phone wasn't ringing. What else could they need to do?

She was just about to ask when he said, "Follow me," He started walking down the street, towards the town park.

Not knowing what else to do, Rukia followed the orange-haired boy through the park gate and into a more secluded area. Rukia had not even a notion in her mind not to trust him.

"Ichigo, what is it? We really should be getting back…" the look on his face quieted her complaint.

"Rukia, you wanna know one of the things I regretted from last year? It was telling a certain someone that I love them," he took a step closer towards.

Not noticing the advance, Rukia looked at him, with sad eyes. "Who was it? Orihime? I think she likes you, you know," she tilted her head down, finding the ground suddenly very interesting.

"No, it's not Orihime," another step closer.

"Tatsuki then? I know you two are really close," With her head still down, she didn't notice him getting closer still.

"I could never date Tatsuki. She's too much of a sister," he took one more step and closed the gap between them.

She looked up, shocked by his sudden appearance in front of her. "Who then? I can't think of anyone else."

She watched the smirk spread over his lips as he reached up to touch her cheek. "Guess."

He leaned down, kissing her lips sweetly, gently. He was hesitant; not sure of how she was going to respond. But after the first initial shock of their lips meeting, she responded the same way he had started, hesitant and unsure.

The kiss broke quickly, but left a mark on their souls. They both smiled, happy that they felt the same way for each other. He brushed his thumb over her lips once again, pulling her in her a hug. She wrapped her arms around his torso, laying her head against his chest.

_I guess this is our new beginning…_

~?~?~?~?~

Well, that's it. Fluff abounds ne? Well, I'm going to get in trouble if I don't get ready soon, so ta-ta for now! And HAPPY NEW YEAR MINNA-SAN!!!! 


End file.
